THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
November 4th, 2013
Volume VII, Edition CCVI
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Are you looking to advertise your website, product or brand? A good way to get your name out there is via direct advertising here in the Frontstretch Newsletter! Interested parties can contact us at tony.lumbis@frontstretch.com for details.
A look at Sunday's AAA Texas 500 by the numbers. There were 28 lead changes among ten different drivers and only five cautions for 26 laps, which kept the race pace at a quick 151.754 MPH. Next week, the Sprint Cup Series heads to Phoenix International Raceway for the AdvoCare 500k. The green flag from Phoenix is set for 3:15 PM ET next Sunday.
Justin Tucker is a Newsletter Contributor at Frontstretch. To reach Justin, please contact Newsletter Manager Phil Allaway at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com.
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
November 4th, 2013
Volume VII, Edition CCVI
~~~~~~~~~
Are you looking to advertise your website, product or brand? A good way to get your name out there is via direct advertising here in the Frontstretch Newsletter! Interested parties can contact us at tony.lumbis@frontstretch.com for details.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sprint Cup Race Recap: Johnson Dominates At Texas, Takes Points Lead
by Justin Tucker
Sunday's AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway was billed as an epic heavyweight battle between Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth. Johnson and Kenseth, the series' two most dominant drivers in 2013, entered the race tied atop the Chase point standings with just three races to go. Many were expecting the duo to wage a classic battle over 500 miles on Sunday.
Someone forgot to give Johnson that particular script. Instead of a duel, Johnson quickly turned the race into a rout, leading a staggering 255 of 334 laps and beating Hendrick teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr. by 4.390 seconds en route to his sixth win of the season. The victory, along with Matt Kenseth's fourth-place finish, gives Johnson a seven-point lead heading into the season's final two races.
Johnson, who scored his 66th career victory on Sunday and second consecutive win in the Fall Texas race, faced little adversity during the 500-mile event except for a slow pit stop on lap 240 which dropped him back to sixth in the running order. However, Johnson would show the speed in his Lowe's Chevrolet by reclaiming the lead from Brad Keselowski in less than 20 laps. From there, Johnson was never seriously threatened and cruised to the victory.
"We came here, tested and did an awesome job of understanding what I needed in the car and what was going to create speed," said Johnson, trying to explain such dominance in a NASCAR era of parity. "We came back, had a very smooth qualifying session and practice sessions yesterday, and just kept putting more and more speed in the car. It paid off today."
Meanwhile, Johnson's teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr. would continue his late-season surge on Sunday by recording his fifth second-place finish of 2013. Peaking during the late stages of the race, adapting to changing track conditions Earnhardt Jr. was very pleased and spoke highly of the progress of his team over the last seven weeks.
"We want to put forward a good account of ourselves in the Chase, because you're in there for a reason and you don't want to be an also-ran," Earnhardt Jr. said. "So, we feel like we're doing a lot of good work and getting really close to probably breaking through and getting a win. We've only got two more opportunities at it, but real pleased with just the speed of the car."
Johnson's closest contender for the championship, Matt Kenseth, would record a solid fourth-place finish Sunday while overcoming a pit road speeding penalty on Lap 174. A disappointed Kenseth spoke of giving up ground to the No. 48, and his day after the race.
"We were just being too aggressive," said Kenseth. "Honestly, the [No.] 48 had us ... they were just dominant all weekend. That speeding penalty got us behind. We definitely didn't need that, but really don't know if the end of the day that it really affected our finish much."
Joining Johnson, Earnhardt Jr., and Kenseth in the top 5 of Sunday's AAA Texas 500 were Joey Logano in third and Kasey Kahne in fifth. Six through ten in Sunday's race were Brad Keselowski as the best non-Chaser in sixth, followed by Denny Hamlin with a strong seventh. Kevin Harvick ran eighth, Ryan Newman was ninth, and Clint Bowyer rounded out the top 10.
Sprint Cup Race Recap: Johnson Dominates At Texas, Takes Points Lead
by Justin Tucker
Sunday's AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway was billed as an epic heavyweight battle between Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth. Johnson and Kenseth, the series' two most dominant drivers in 2013, entered the race tied atop the Chase point standings with just three races to go. Many were expecting the duo to wage a classic battle over 500 miles on Sunday.
Someone forgot to give Johnson that particular script. Instead of a duel, Johnson quickly turned the race into a rout, leading a staggering 255 of 334 laps and beating Hendrick teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr. by 4.390 seconds en route to his sixth win of the season. The victory, along with Matt Kenseth's fourth-place finish, gives Johnson a seven-point lead heading into the season's final two races.
Johnson, who scored his 66th career victory on Sunday and second consecutive win in the Fall Texas race, faced little adversity during the 500-mile event except for a slow pit stop on lap 240 which dropped him back to sixth in the running order. However, Johnson would show the speed in his Lowe's Chevrolet by reclaiming the lead from Brad Keselowski in less than 20 laps. From there, Johnson was never seriously threatened and cruised to the victory.
"We came here, tested and did an awesome job of understanding what I needed in the car and what was going to create speed," said Johnson, trying to explain such dominance in a NASCAR era of parity. "We came back, had a very smooth qualifying session and practice sessions yesterday, and just kept putting more and more speed in the car. It paid off today."
Meanwhile, Johnson's teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr. would continue his late-season surge on Sunday by recording his fifth second-place finish of 2013. Peaking during the late stages of the race, adapting to changing track conditions Earnhardt Jr. was very pleased and spoke highly of the progress of his team over the last seven weeks.
"We want to put forward a good account of ourselves in the Chase, because you're in there for a reason and you don't want to be an also-ran," Earnhardt Jr. said. "So, we feel like we're doing a lot of good work and getting really close to probably breaking through and getting a win. We've only got two more opportunities at it, but real pleased with just the speed of the car."
Johnson's closest contender for the championship, Matt Kenseth, would record a solid fourth-place finish Sunday while overcoming a pit road speeding penalty on Lap 174. A disappointed Kenseth spoke of giving up ground to the No. 48, and his day after the race.
"We were just being too aggressive," said Kenseth. "Honestly, the [No.] 48 had us ... they were just dominant all weekend. That speeding penalty got us behind. We definitely didn't need that, but really don't know if the end of the day that it really affected our finish much."
Joining Johnson, Earnhardt Jr., and Kenseth in the top 5 of Sunday's AAA Texas 500 were Joey Logano in third and Kasey Kahne in fifth. Six through ten in Sunday's race were Brad Keselowski as the best non-Chaser in sixth, followed by Denny Hamlin with a strong seventh. Kevin Harvick ran eighth, Ryan Newman was ninth, and Clint Bowyer rounded out the top 10.
Jeff Gordon, hoping to make the title a three-man race got bit by the bad luck bug instead. A blown tire, less than 80 laps into the race sent the No. 24 car hard into the wall, the four-time champion to the garage and tore his title hopes right in two.
A look at Sunday's AAA Texas 500 by the numbers. There were 28 lead changes among ten different drivers and only five cautions for 26 laps, which kept the race pace at a quick 151.754 MPH. Next week, the Sprint Cup Series heads to Phoenix International Raceway for the AdvoCare 500k. The green flag from Phoenix is set for 3:15 PM ET next Sunday.
Justin Tucker is a Newsletter Contributor at Frontstretch. To reach Justin, please contact Newsletter Manager Phil Allaway at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com.
Chasing The Chase: An Absolute Two-Man Race With Two To Go
by Phil Allaway
by Phil Allaway
Texas Motor Speedway served as an official shaving down of the Chase for the Sprint Cup to just two drivers, Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth. Johnson eviscerated the field on Sunday to claim his sixth win of the year, thus breaking the tie in the standings. Despite his own issues on pit road, Kenseth led a couple of laps and finished a strong fourth. The margin is now just seven points with two races to go. Kevin Harvick moved back up to third in points following his eighth-place finish Sunday, but he is a full 40 points out of the lead.
Kyle Busch is now fourth in the standings after finishing in 13th. However, Kyle got lucky that wall contact he had, causing a caution on Lap 57 did not damage his Snickers Toyota too badly. Busch came back to run as high as second before a late, pit road speeding penalty ultimately derailed hopes of a better run.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr., meanwhile was perhaps the biggest winner outside the top two in the Chase. He finished a somewhat distant second to Johnson, and thus moved up two places in points to fifth. He bypassed Jeff Gordon, who - coming off his first win of the year at Martinsville - simply could not take advantage of his momentum. A little over 100 miles into the race, Gordon blew a left-front tire and hit the wall hard in Turn 1. Over half the race was spent behind the wall for repairs before Gordon returned to gain four positions and finish 38th. The result still dropped him three places to sixth in points, though.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr., meanwhile was perhaps the biggest winner outside the top two in the Chase. He finished a somewhat distant second to Johnson, and thus moved up two places in points to fifth. He bypassed Jeff Gordon, who - coming off his first win of the year at Martinsville - simply could not take advantage of his momentum. A little over 100 miles into the race, Gordon blew a left-front tire and hit the wall hard in Turn 1. Over half the race was spent behind the wall for repairs before Gordon returned to gain four positions and finish 38th. The result still dropped him three places to sixth in points, though.
Gordon's Martinsville win gives him the tiebreaker over Clint Bowyer in the standings. Bowyer had a relatively quiet day despite earning a tenth-place finish. Four points behind Gordon and Bowyer is Greg Biffle in eighth after running a pedestrian 12th in the race. Joey Logano moved up two places to ninth as a result of his third-place finish.
Kurt Busch had another off day on Sunday, finishing 17th, two laps down. That result dropped Kurt one spot to tenth in points. Carl Edwards also dropped one place to 11th, but that happened because of engine woes that relegated the pole-sitter to a 37th-place finish. Just two points behind Edwards is Ryan Newman in 12th, who had a quiet run to ninth. Kasey Kahne continues to round out the Chasers in 13th.
Outside of the Chase, Jamie McMurray had a miserable day, finishing five laps down in 31st. Meanwhile, Brad Keselowski's sixth-place run was good enough to leapfrog McMurray in the standings. Keselowski is just two points in front of McMurray. Martin Truex, Jr., in 16th is nearly a full race behind Keselowski.
Chase Point Standings: 1) Jimmie Johnson 2342, 2) Matt Kenseth -7, 3) Kevin Harvick -40, 4) Kyle Busch -52, 5) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. -62, t-6) Jeff Gordon -69, t-6) Clint Bowyer -69, 8) Greg Biffle -73, 9) Joey Logano -91, 10) Kurt Busch -96, 11) Carl Edwards -116, 12) Ryan Newman -118, 13) Kasey Kahne -133.
Best of the Rest (14-23): 14) Brad Keselowski 968, 15) Jamie McMurray -2, 16) Martin Truex, Jr. -46, 17) Paul Menard -52, 18) Aric Almirola -108, 19) Jeff Burton -110, 20) Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. -113, 21) Marcos Ambrose -132, 22) Juan Pablo Montoya -138, 23) Denny Hamlin -279.
Non-Chase Point Standings (top-23): 1) Jimmie Johnson 1171, 2) Matt Kenseth -44, 3) Kevin Harvick -47, 4) Kyle Busch -82, 5) Carl Edwards -109, 6) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. -110, 7) Clint Bowyer -119, 8) Greg Biffle -146, 9) Jeff Gordon -148, 10) Kurt Busch -163, 11) Joey Logano -172, 12) Brad Keselowski -203, 13) Jamie McMurray -205, 14) Ryan Newman -206, 15) Kasey Kahne -223, 16) Martin Truex, Jr. -249, 17) Paul Menard -255, 18) Aric Almirola -311, 19) Jeff Burton -313, 20) Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. -316, 21) Marcos Ambrose -335, 22) Juan Pablo Montoya -341, 23) Denny Hamlin -482.
Race Winners: Jimmie Johnson (Daytona-1, Martinsville-1, Pocono-1, Daytona-2, Dover-2, Texas-2), Carl Edwards (Phoenix, Richmond-2), Matt Kenseth (Las Vegas, Kansas-1, Darlington, Kentucky, Bristol-2, Chicagoland, New Hampshire-2), Kasey Kahne (Bristol-1, Pocono-2), Kyle Busch (Fontana, Texas-1, Watkins Glen, Atlanta), Kevin Harvick (Richmond-1, Charlotte, Kansas-2), David Ragan (Talladega), Tony Stewart (Dover-1), Greg Biffle (Michigan-1), Martin Truex, Jr. (Sonoma), Brian Vickers (New Hampshire-1), Ryan Newman (Indianapolis), Joey Logano (Michigan-2), Brad Keselowski (Charlotte-2), Jamie McMurray (Talladega-2), Jeff Gordon (Martinsville-2).
Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager and a Senior Writer for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Critic84.
Never Fear, The Underdogs Are Here: Texas-2 Edition
by Amy Henderson
Editor's Note: This year, we're going to switch things up a little bit. Instead of just focusing upon one underdog (or underreported) car in the Secret Star section, we will point out three smaller teams that put up good finishes each week.
Underdog Selection No. 1: Parker Kligerman for Swan Racing; started 23rd, finished 18th
Kligerman made his Sprint Cup debut on Sunday, and it was an impressive one. Kligerman did everything a rookie should, bringing the No. 30 home in one piece, but he also brought it home in the top spot amongst the small teams. Kligerman's finish was the team's best run since they finished 17th at Bristol in August, and it's the second time ever that they finished in the top 20 at a non-restrictor plate track. The team has not named a driver for 2014, and after Sunday's performance, Kligerman made a strong case for himself. The No. 30 might not be a top-level ride, but there is room to move forward, something the team proved in 2013.
Underdog Selection No. 2: Kyle Larson for Phoenix Racing; started 36th, finished 23rd
It may have taken Larson three races to finally be running at the end, but that's no fault of his, and Larson put together a solid performance in Texas. After starting 36th, Larson was able to take the No. 51 forward in the field, an encouraging sign for him. Larson had the type of race a rookie needs to have: he completed laps, which will give him notes to work off in coming races, and he stayed out of trouble. Larson didn't overdrive his car the way some enthusiastic youngsters do, and he was able to learn.
Underdog Selection No. 3: David Gilliland for Front Row Motorsports; started 28th, finished 26th
Gilliland may spend much of the time in the shadow of teammate David Ragan, but the truth is, Gilliland has been just as solid in 2013. If driver points are the best measure of performance, he actually has an edge after passing Ragan on the points chart this week. That puts him second amongst the small team drivers, and while it's unlikely he'll take the top spot away from Casey Mears, he'll be a contender for that in 2014. It might not seem like much among the sport's elite, but the bragging rights are a big deal to these guys.
Underdog Pick of the Week - Phoenix-II: Casey Mears for Germain Racing
In this section, I'll give you my pick among the small teams to have a strong run in the upcoming race.
My Texas pick was David Ragan, who was running strong on the lead lap right up until his engine blew, relegating him to a 42nd-place finish. Not my best day.
This week was a tough pick - Phoenix is definitely not a track that favors any of these teams. While Bobby Labonte has a better average finish than Casey Mears, his team hasn't performed as well as the Germain team on a regular basis this year. Taking 2013 into account, Mears has been solid on the short tracks and has outperformed Labonte on a regular basis. His 26th-place PIR average isn't anything to write home about…but it's better than the rest of the group this week.
Is your favorite driver among NASCAR's underdogs? Are you frustrated with the lack of coverage they receive during the race broadcasts? Amy has all the small teams covered each and every week in The Big Six. Be sure to check it out to see how your favorites fared!
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Letter of the Race: Sunday's Talladega race was brought to you by the letter "B," for Buttkicking. Unfortunately for many race fans, it was pretty obvious early on that Jimmie Johnson had the dominant race car on Sunday. No one could run with him for most of the race. Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski were able to get past on pit road, but neither were able to stay out front long. It's been a long time since we've since a day like Sunday in the Sprint Cup Series. - Phil Allaway
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Sidebar Stories: Texas
by Summer Bedgood
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Earns Fifth Second-Place Finish of the SeasonLetter of the Race: Sunday's Talladega race was brought to you by the letter "B," for Buttkicking. Unfortunately for many race fans, it was pretty obvious early on that Jimmie Johnson had the dominant race car on Sunday. No one could run with him for most of the race. Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski were able to get past on pit road, but neither were able to stay out front long. It's been a long time since we've since a day like Sunday in the Sprint Cup Series. - Phil Allaway
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Sidebar Stories: Texas
by Summer Bedgood
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finished second Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway behind teammate Jimmie Johnson. Considering how dominating Johnson was—leading 255 of 334 laps—that would seem like a successful day.
However, Earnhardt didn't necessarily see it that way due largely in part because it was the fifth time he had finished behind another driver this season and the third time he has finished second to Johnson. Though Earnhardt was nowhere near a dominant factor—he failed to lead even one lap all night—Earnhardt is ready to find Victory Lane.
"We're getting close," said Earnhardt. "I have got to give Steve Letarte (crew chief) a lot of credit. I want to thank AMP Energy Gold, National Guard, all of our sponsors – Time Warner Cable. The team has done a good job. We came here and tested so we thought we would have a good chance to win it here. Obviously, our teammate was here testing too, so it paid off for him. Congratulations to Jimmie. We've been working really hard. Steve has done a great job. It's paying off. We're getting close."
Earnhardt Jr. is currently fifth in the standings with no wins and is 62 points behind leader Johnson.
Matt Kenseth Recovers from Speeding Penalty, Finishes Fourth
Matt Kenseth took the green flag at Texas with the points lead. Even though he was tied with Jimmie Johnson for the points lead, he had the tiebreaker because he had more wins this season than Johnson.
While Johnson would go on to win the race, Kenseth would have to fight through adversity to maintain his title hopes. Around lap 170, green flag pitstops were ongoing and Kenseth was one of the many to hit pit road for tires, fuel, and some adjustments to the car. What was supposed to be a quick stop under green, however, would turn into an issue for Kenseth.
Kenseth was forced to serve a pass-thru penalty as NASCAR flagged him for speeding while exiting the pits.
While it cost him valuable track position, Kenseth would eventually work his way back into the top 10 within thirty laps. Kenseth would maintain his track position the rest of the race and finish in the fourth position.
"We were just being too aggressive," said Kenseth. "Honestly, the 48 (Jimmie Johnson) had us from the time they unloaded until the time they put it back on the truck. They were just dominant all weekend. Jason (Ratcliff, crew chief) and this whole Home Depot crew did a great job today of making adjustments trying to get it better. That speeding penalty got us behind — we definitely didn't need that, but really I don't know at the end of the day if that really affected our finish much. We just didn't have what we needed to get any farther forward."
Kenseth's fourth-place finish left him seven points behind Johnson with two races left in the season.
Parker Kligerman Runs 18th in Sprint Cup Series Debut
Parker Kligerman had 98 starts in NASCAR prior to Sunday, but none of them were in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Instead, he had 49 starts in the Nationwide Series and 49 in the Camping World Truck Series. So when Texas rolled around, it was time for Kligerman's Sprint Cup Series debut.
Kligerman was driving the No. 30 Swan Energy / Lean1 Toyota for Swan Racing and he started out a little rocky by qualifying in the 23rd position, though perhaps that isn't a terrible effort considering it was his first try. Kligerman had eight previous starts at Texas Motor Speedway between the Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series. The highest he ever finished was second, a position he attained twice in the Nationwide Series both in 2011 and 2012.
After 500 miles of racing, Kligerman would wind up a respectable 18th, albeit two laps off the pace.
Kligerman is currently competing full-time in the Nationwide Series for Kyle Busch Motorsports. He is tenth in points with three top-fives, 12 top 10s, and an average finish of 14.4.
Summer Bedgood is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch. She can be reached via e-mail at summer.bedgood@frontstretch.com. Follow her on Twitter at @SummerBedgood.
Quotes to Remember: AAA Texas 500
compiled by Phil Allaway
"It was all of that. We came here and tested and did an awesome job of understanding what I needed in the car and what was going to create speed. We came back and had a very smooth qualifying session and practice sessions yesterday, and just kept putting more and more speed in the car. It paid off today. Obviously we need a lot of speed in the car and a win to get any points because Matt (Kenseth) is there in the top-five. Nice to gain just a few points on him. But just a dominant day for this Lowe's team. I can't thank everybody at Hendrick Motorsports enough for their hard efforts. Great car, great effort. Pit stops...all across the board. This Chevy was fast. I know there are a lot of Lowe's employees watching and excited and are cheering so thank you. Thanks to all the No. 48 fans. Hopefully my wife (Chandra) gets here soon with my two little ones, I can't wait to see them." - Jimmie Johnson, race winner
"Saturday morning in the first practice, we were struggling. We got it a little bit better and a little bit better and then we worked on it last night in the bus studying. When the race started, it wasn't that great; it was okay. But we dialed it in and I think the track kind of came to us as it got dark here. That's about what the conditions were when we tested. Steve [Letarte] is doing a good job of dialing the car in. He is giving good cars every week. I am driving them alright; I'm just staying out of trouble." - Dale Earnhardt, Jr., finished second
"The guys on the AAA Fusion did a great job overnight looking at what Brad's car had and what we went through in practice. There were times in practice I thought we were one of the fastest cars here and some time in practice I thought we were a 10-15th place car. We went through our notes and made sure we understood all the changes and put together a fast race car today. From the start of the race, we started moving our way forward and I thought I was a second or third-place car all night. I don't know what number I came in to pit, but a couple laps before that, Dale got in front of me and I tried my heart out trying to pass him and we short filled the car and got a little too tight and couldn't get to his outside or cross him up good underneath him. Overall we can't be disappointed with a third-place finish, but the 48 car was just ridiculously fast." - Joey Logano, finished third
"We were just being too aggressive. Honestly, the 48 (Jimmie Johnson) had us from the time they unloaded until the time they put it back on the truck. They were just dominant all weekend. Jason (Ratcliff, crew chief) and this whole Home Depot crew did a great job today of making adjustments trying to get it better. That speeding penalty got us behind -- we definitely didn't need that, but really I don't know at the end of the day if that really affected our finish much. We just didn't have what we needed to get any farther forward." - Matt Kenseth, finished fourth
"We had a pretty good Time Warner Chevy today. We were seventh to tenth most of the race, and worked our way to fifth there at the end. Not quite as good as what Jimmie (Johnson) and Dale (Earnhardt, Jr.) was. I know if Jeff (Gordon) had been out there, he would have been fast as well. The Hendrick (Motorsports) cars were good today. Congrats to them. I'm glad we were able to have kind of a flawless race, and race all day and make a little bit of ground at the end." - Kasey Kahne, finished fifth
"We had an okay day. I thought we had decent speed at times and then we were leading at one point and the yellow flag came and we pitted and came out ninth, which ended our shot of being able to derail Jimmie, if there even was one. His car was so much faster than the field. It was pretty embarrassing to be quite honest. That is the way it goes and we will work to get better." - Brad Keselowski, finished sixth
"That was a tough one. The car wasn't very good in traffic and it seemed like we missed maybe the front gaps a little bit on the start. We didn't get it until it seemed like about 20 to go or 30 or 50 or whatever that last stop was. I don't know. We just weren't where we wanted to be. It was a tough day." - Greg Biffle, finished 12th
"That's all we had, and for us it wasn't a good day, or for that matter, a good weekend. We were off since we unloaded on Friday and never found the right balance for this track. We gave it everything we had, but yet it was disappointing because these mile-and-a-half tracks should be good for us. We need a turnaround in the final two races because it has been too good of a year to end on a struggling note." - Kurt Busch, finished 17th
"I wish I could give these guys a little better feedback on what I needed. We went a little bit the wrong way there in the middle of the race, but they made some good adjustments there at the end and we were fast -- really, really fast. I'm just learning to work with these guys and they are giving me everything they've got. The Aaron's Dream Machine was good there at the end of the race and we made good improvements. We learn from this one and take this momentum to Phoenix." - Elliott Sadler, finished 19th
"It was just a tough day. We struggled with it and got it better and then we had a tire come apart there at the end which really ruined our day there. We have to regroup. I am really proud of my guys on the Farmland Fusion. They worked hard all day and I know they will have us ready to go again for Phoenix next week." - Aric Almirola, finished 27th
"I think a valve spring broke and now they can't get the spark plug out or anything so it beat up that cylinder pretty bad. We don't usually have a lot of engine trouble. Doug Yates and the guys at Roush Yates Engines build great engines. I feel bad for everyone at Aflac. We had such a great weekend going. The car, during the middle part of the race we were struggling but we were starting to get it worked out. Aflac has coverage for just about everything but I don't think they cover sick engines which is too bad. We will just go on to Phoenix and hopefully get another win there and go to Homestead. We gotta get in the top-10 so we can go to Vegas one way or another." - Carl Edwards, finished 37th (Blown Engine)
"I just know that the left front went down as I was going down the front straightaway. I felt it before I got there, and I just couldn't get it slowed down enough. I don't know; the wind was so strong that the car was doing funky things down the straightaways. I don't know if that was a slow leak, or if it just went all of a sudden. Our car just didn't take off very good, but boy was it strong on the long runs. We just needed to get some better track position; get on the inside on those restarts, and we actually had a really, really good race car. But, unfortunate. This is definitely going to hurt. We just get what we can out of this day and go on to Phoenix." - Jeff Gordon, finished 38th
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Thinkin' Out Loud: Texas-2 NASCAR Weekend Recap
by Mike Neff
by Amy Henderson
by Tom Bowles
You Snooze... You Lose? Chase Title For Johnson, No. 48 Far From Guaranteed
by Summer Bedgood
Pace Laps: Rewriting NASCAR History, Statement Shuffle And Chase-ing Success
by the Frontstretch Staff
by Beth Lunkenheimer
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: The 1997 Phoenix 200 for the Indy Racing League is best known for Jim Guthrie scoring an upset victory after mortgaging his future to be able to compete. However, one of the strongest drivers in the field was Kenny Brack, who was making his series debut in place of the injured Davy Jones. Unfortunately for the young talent, Brack's strong run came to an end early. What happened?
Check back Tuesday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Friday's Answer:
Q: Texas Motor Speedway has had its share of bizarre incidents. Few are as strange, though as what put Donnie Beechler out of the 1999 Longhorn 500k. What happened?
A: The caution came out with 22 laps to go when Tyce Carlson crashed exiting Turn 2. However, Carlson's crash was not bizarre. He just lost control. The bizarre aspect here was that after the yellow came out, the Oldsmobile Alero pace car came out to pick up the field and hit Donnie Beechler. The contact damaged Beechler's car and put the pace car into the inside wall. The unusual incident can be seen here.
Beechler was OK, but the contact damaged suspension parts on his No. 98, putting him out for the day. The Alero actually suffered a bent left front suspension in its own right after the wall contact. In addition, the airbags deployed in the crash. However, the driver was OK.
Frontstretch Trivia Guarantee: Take the shirt off our backs! If we've provided an incorrect answer to the Frontstretch Trivia question, be the first to email the corrected trivia answer to trivia@frontstretch.com and we'll send you a Frontstretch T-Shirt ... FREE!
Coming Tuesday in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News by Tom Bowles
-- Fan's View Commentary by S.D. Grady
-- Numbers Game: AAA Texas 500 by Tom Bowles
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Coming Tuesday in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News by Tom Bowles
-- Fan's View Commentary by S.D. Grady
-- Numbers Game: AAA Texas 500 by Tom Bowles
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, and more!
Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Five Points To Ponder by Danny Peters
Danny returns for his weekly edition of talking points, which will wrap up the action in Texas and get us ready for Phoenix.
Who's Hot / Who's Not in Sprint Cup: Texas-Phoenix Edition by Brad Morgan
Brad gives us something to look forward to going into Phoenix. He's tracking the trends of the past few weeks to see which drivers are on a tear... or tearing their hair out.
Racing To The Point by Brett Poirier
Brett is back with another commentary to make you think. This week, he talks about the end of the road for two of the sport's legendary drivers: Jeff Burton and Bobby Labonte. Will these last two races be their last go rounds?
Going By The Numbers by Kevin Rutherford
Kevin enlightens us with his weekly statistics column based on trends we've been seeing in the Cup Series so far this season.
Brad gives us something to look forward to going into Phoenix. He's tracking the trends of the past few weeks to see which drivers are on a tear... or tearing their hair out.
Racing To The Point by Brett Poirier
Brett is back with another commentary to make you think. This week, he talks about the end of the road for two of the sport's legendary drivers: Jeff Burton and Bobby Labonte. Will these last two races be their last go rounds?
Going By The Numbers by Kevin Rutherford
Kevin enlightens us with his weekly statistics column based on trends we've been seeing in the Cup Series so far this season.
Couch Potato Tuesday by Phil Allaway
This past weekend, all three of NASCAR's National series were in action at Texas Motor Speedway. How were these races presented? Find out in our weekly TV critique.
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